By Mike
Massie, author, Martial Arts Character
Education Lesson Plans for Children
There’s a young man I see on the corner most days when I’m
driving into downtown Austin, and it brightens my day every time I speak with
him. I struck up a conversation with him one day due to the Medical Corps tattoo
on his neck, and the fact that he’s missing his left leg from the knee down. My
route takes me by his corner, and now I always make an effort to chat when I
stop and he’s there.
As it turns out, this young man was a nurse in the Army, and
he lost his leg in an IED explosion in Iraq. Every time I stop and whether I
have any cash on me or not, he always smiles and thanks me for taking the time
to say hi. We chat about how his day is going; sometimes it’s great, other
times he admits that his leg is bothering him (apparently the bones have
shifted in his stump, and he’s 108th in line at the VA hospital for
a new prosthesis).
But, he’s always smiling when he chats. Always. Ear to ear.
It’s infectious.
The other day, I asked him how things were coming along with
his VA claim. See, he’s waiting for the paperwork to get approved so he can get
full disability benefits. That’s why he’s on the street corner every day. I
know, it’s infuriating; I mean, I’m infuriated by it, and I’m not the one in
his shoes.
Still, every day the young man smiles. And as he replied to
me that in March everything should be squared away, his smile got even bigger.
Not because he’s looking forward to finally having enough money to get off the
street and back on his feet (both the one God gave him, and the one the Army replaced),
but because he says he plans to help other homeless and disabled vets once he’s
better situated financially.
“I’m going to come back out here and give back, once I’m
able,” he told me with a huge grin. I told him I thought that was great, and
that I hoped it came sooner rather than later. He smiled again, the light
turned green, and I waved as I began to drive off.
“Thanks for taking the time to talk!” he said, with people
behind me honking because I was holding up traffic in order to respond in kind.
I checked the rearview as I drove away, wondering at how we can ask so much of
our service members and give them so little in return. And as I drove a little
further I couldn’t help but wonder at how this guy who has lost so much can
still be so focused on helping others.
So if giving is difficult for you this year, perhaps because
you’re irritated at one more holiday expense or one more charity asking for
donations, please think about that veteran and reflect on how good things
really are for you and yours this holiday season. For me, I must admit that I
was finding it hard to give this year, at least until I received a Christmas reality
check from my roadside friend. I can’t help but think that if we all shared his
attitude and spirit, the world would be a much better place.
- - -
If you’d like to find
out more about our wounded veterans, and also find out how you can help wounded
veterans who are having a difficult time making the transition from military to
civilian life, please visit http://www.garysinisefoundation.org/ and http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/.
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